"While we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us."

~ Audre Lorde ~

SHARE YOUR STORY

Request the Passwordto Share Your Story

If you put your email address into the box below and hit "submit", you will receive a password and username to share your story. This will be immediate. Please note that if you have already obtained the password for reading the stories, you do NOT need to get another one for sharing your story - the details are the same - and they are the same for all the categories in which you might wish to share your story.Please make sure the email address is correct, or you will not receive a password. Also it should be a safe email that your abuser does not share.

Enter email address:

WHERE TO SHARE YOUR STORY

I have categorized the stories in order to make it easy for survivors to choose the particular types of situations they want to read about.
You need to select the link to the section you want to post your story in but please remember that you need to have obtained the password for sharing your story. You can get that here.

It may be that you unfortunately had several perpetrators through more than one age group. Feel free to pick the category that seems most relevant and tell as much of your story as you like. Or you can submit more than one story in different categories. PLEASE post your story in the correct category or it won't appear. I hate to state that twice but you should see the ton of stories I get say, in the marital rape section that aren't about marital rape!

Other types of sexual assault - Non partner rape stories, such as acquaintance rape, sexual assault by a stranger, incest, child sexual abuse, or any other sexual assault experiences that are not about partner rape

STORY SHARING IS NOW A PASSWORD-PROTECTED FUNCTION.YOU CAN SEE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT HERE.

PLEASE NOTE I have had some distressing stories from young children about rape or other assaults they've experienced or which are ongoing. When this happens, I must tell the police, in order for them to help stop the abuse. When you share your story, an IP address is logged which traces to your city. If you are a young child, I then email the police in that city your story and other details. I normally never use the IP addresses of people submitting their stories for any purpose, but if a child is being abused by an adult, it must be stopped, and you deserve that. Remember that the abuse is NEVER your fault and that you should still reach out to somebody, even if the person hurting you has threatened you and you are scared. If you don't want to share your story with me, please reach out to another grownup.
CLICK THIS LINK FOR SOME PHONE NUMBERS CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE CAN USE. PLEASE REACH OUT.

SHARING YOUR STORY: GUIDELINES AND SUGGESTIONS

Please read the following before submitting your story:

Note: From time to time, researchers ask me if they can use certain stories for their projects. Because I think it benefits us all for IPSV to be researched and knowledge about it made available, I will usually say yes (after checking that people aren't going to use stories for negative purposes). If you are not okay with this, please, when sharing your story, make a note at the top of it that you don't want it used in research.

When you share your story, use any name you like - full names aren't a good idea online.
If you are still in danger, a false name may be best.

If the perpetrator of your assault was not convicted of the crime/s against you, that person's full name cannot legally appear on this site. First name or a pseudonym will do

Your story can be as short or as long as you like

You will not be judged by me on anything you write - be as no holds-barred as you feel comfortable with, and swear your head off if you feel like it.

If your story is NOT about sexual assault by an intimate partner, please do NOT put it in one of the parter rape story entry forms. You'll find below a place to share non-partner rape stories - and here you can share about acquaintance rape, sexual assault by a stranger, incest, child sexual abuse, or any other sexual assault experiences that are not about partner rape.

If your story includes partner rape AND other types of sexual assault, feel free to place them all in the partner rape category most appropriate to you. Or you can share more than one story of you want to.

Please put your story in the right category, which we'll discuss next.

Don't include an email address with your story - I'll remove it because I don't want you opened up to harassment from internet nasties. If you do want to make contact with other survivors of IPSV, please feel free to join Pandora's Aquarium (if you are over 16). That's a a much safer option.

For women from non-English speaking backgrounds:If English is difficult for you, it's okay to write your story in your own language.

WHY YOU NEED A PASSWORD TO SHARE YOUR STORY

I have decided to password-protect the story-sharing function on this site cheifly for two reasons:

Being spammed to death about Louis Vuitton handbags etc. - seriously, I thought turing protection would mean they wouldn't bother but they still do

Silly people who want to send bogus stories and rape "fanfic" thus wasting my time and theirs.

Hopefully the spammers and creepazoids will now keep away. If you want to share your survivor story, obtaining the password is very easy - see the left column on this page for more information.

A CAUTIONARY NOTE

You may find that writing your story is cathartic and rewarding - but some women do feel raw afterwards. That's quite normal - do give yourself a reward, and get support if you need it - either from a rape counsellor (go here), a good friend and/or Pandora's Aquarium, which is open 24/7 and you'll be very welcome if you are over sixteen.If you are under 16, here is a page of resources that can help you.

If at any time, writing your story is triggering flashbacks, anxiety or other strong negative feeling that you believe may become overwhelming, please stop and take gentle care of yourself using the above suggestions or any others that work well for you. You don't need me to tell you that you've been through enough trauma, and deserve to be good to yourself.

If you believe that you will feel the need to self-harm, abuse a substance or otherwise engage in self-destructive behaviour as a result of touching too closely on your story right now, I urge you not to do so but come back when you have a bit more healing under the belt. You'll get there, my friend - there was once a time when I couldn't hear my ex-partner's name without getting drunk to relieve the fear it created. So I know how it can feel - do what's best for you, okay?

WANT YOUR STORY REMOVED?

Your story remains your property, on loan to this site. It can be removed any time you like - please contact me with the link to the page the story is on. You must provide the link - I don't have time to browse 348563 stories looking for one particular story. Send me the link and it's gone :)